Smithton woman charged with Medicaid fraud, theft

A personal care attendant from Smithton is accused by the state Attorney General’s office of overbilling Medicaid $18,491 for hundreds of hours she never worked.

Annette M. Stahl, 54, was arrested by agents from the attorney general’s office and charged with criminal conspiracy, Medicaid fraud and theft in connection with a pay fraud scheme that investigators say occurred over an eight-month period between September 2018 and April 2019.

According to court documents filed by agent Nicholas DeRusso of the agency’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Stahl provided at-home care for a West Newton woman with special needs during the period.

During an interview with agents, DeRusso said in court documents that Stahl admitted she provided personal care attendant services to the woman just five hours per week “but billed between 54 and 56 hours a week” through Public Partnerships LLC, a financial intermediary of the medical assistance program.

DeRusso said in court documents that the fiscal intermediaries rely on the integrity of the timesheets to pay the personal care attendants with medical assistance money.

“Stahl also said she would give (her client) $250 a week from her paycheck” during the period, DeRusso wrote.

DeRusso said the client corroborated the information provided by Stahl, adding that “she was aware that Stahl was submitting fraudulent timesheets.”

Stahl’s client is not charged.

DeRusso said Stahl received a total of $18,491 from Medicaid “for work she did not perform.” UPMC Community Health Choices alerted the attorney’s office to the alleged scheme.

Stahl was released on $5,000 unsecured bond pending a preliminary hearing March 8.

She could not be reached for comment and did not have an attorney listed in court documents.